Life cycle assessment as a prospective tool for sustainable agriculture and food planning at a local level

Owing to the far-reaching environmental consequences of agriculture and food systems,such as their contribution to climate change,there is an urgent need to reduce their impact.International and national governments set sustainability targets and implement corresponding measures.Nevertheless,critics of the globalized system claim that a territorial administrative scale is better suited to address sustainability issues.Yet,at the subnational level,local authorities rarely apply a systemic environmental assessment to enhance their action plans.This paper employs a territorial life cycle assessment methodology to improve local environmental agri-food planning.The objective is to identify significant direct and indirect environmental hotspots,their origins,and formulate effective mitigation strategies.The methodology is applied to the administrative department of Finistere,a strategic agricultural region in North-Western France.Multiple environmental criteria including climate change,fossil resource scarcity,toxicity,and land use are modeled.The findings reveal that the primary environmental hotspots of the studied local food system arise from indirect sources,such as livestock feed or diesel consumption.Livestock reduction and organic farming conversion emerge as the most environmentally efficient strategies,resulting in a 25%decrease in the climate change indicator.However,the overall modeled impact reduction is insufficient following national objectives and remains limited for the land use indicator.These results highlight the innovative application of life cycle assessment led at a local level,offering insights for the further advancement of systematic and prospective local agri-food assessment.Additionally,they provide guidance for local authorities to enhance the sustainability of planning strategies.

Crystalline and amorphous metal sulfide composite electrode materials with long cycle life:Preparation and performance of hybrid capacitors

Crystalline@amorphous NiCo_(2)S_(4)@MoS_(2)(v-NCS@MS)nanostructures were designed and constructed via an ethylene glycol-induced strategy with hydrothermal synthesis and solvothermal method,which simultaneously realized the defect regulation of crystal NiCo_(2)S_(4) in the core.Taking advantage of the flexible protection of an amor-phous shell and the high capacity of a conductive core with defects,the v-NCS@MS electrode exhibited high specif-ic capacity(1034 mAh·g^(-1) at 1 A·g^(-1))and outstanding rate capability.Moreover,a hybrid supercapacitor was assembled with v-NCS@MS as cathode and activated carbon(AC)as anode,which can achieve remarkably high specific energy of 111 Wh·kg^(-1) at a specific power of 219 W·kg^(-1) and outstanding capacity retention of 80.5%after 15000 cycling at different current densities.

Investigation into the Methodology and Implementation of Life Cycle Engineering under China’s Carbon Reduction Target in the Process Industry

The industrial sector is the primary source of carbon emissions in China.In pursuit of meeting its carbon reduction targets,China aims to promote resource consumption sustainability,reduce energy consumption,and achieve carbon neutrality within its processing industries.An effective strategy to promote energy savings and carbon reduction throughout the life cycle of materials is by applying life cycle engineering technology.This strategy aims to attain an optimal solution for material performance,resource consumption,and environmental impact.In this study,five types of technologies were considered:raw material replacement,process reengineering,fuel replacement,energy recycling and reutilization,and material recycling and reutilization.The meaning,methodology,and development status of life cycle engineering technology abroad and domestically are discussed in detail.A multidimensional analysis of ecological design was conducted from the perspectives of resource and energy consumption,carbon emissions,product performance,and recycling of secondary resources in a manufacturing process.This coupled with an integrated method to analyze carbon emissions in the entire life cycle of a material process industry was applied to the nonferrous industry,as an example.The results provide effective ideas and solutions for achieving low or zero carbon emission production in the Chinese industry as recycled aluminum and primary aluminum based on advanced technologies had reduced resource consumption and emissions as compared to primary aluminum production.

Growth of RB Population in the Conversion Phase of Chlamydia Life Cycle

Upon infecting a host cell,the reticulate body(RB)form of the Chlamydia bacteria simply proliferates by binary fission for an extended period.Available data show only RB units in the infected cells 20 hours post infection(hpi),spanning nearly half way through the development cycle.With data collected every 4 hpi,conversion to the elementary body(EB)form begins abruptly at a rapid rate sometime around 24 hpi.By modeling proliferation and conversion as simple birth and death processes,it has been shown that the optimal strategy for maximizing the total(mean)EB population at host cell lysis time is a bang-bang control qualitatively replicating the observed conversion activities.However,the simple birth and death model for the RB proliferation and conversion to EB deviates in a significant way from the available data on the evolution of the RB population after the onset of RB-to-EB conversion.By working with a more refined model that takes into account a small size threshold eligibility requirement for conversion noted in the available data,we succeed in removing the deficiency of the previous models on the evolution of the RB population without affecting the optimal bang-bang conversion strategy.

基于Childlife理念的叙事医学干预在隐睾患儿围手术期中的应用

目的探讨Child life理念的叙事医学干预在隐睾患儿围手术期中的应用效果。方法选取2021年1月至2023年8月安徽医科大学第一附属医院收治的120例住院择期手术的隐睾患儿作为研究对象,采用随机数字表法分为观察组和对照组,各60例。对照组采用泌尿外科常规围手术期干预,观察组在对照组基础上采用Child life理念的叙事医学干预。比较两组患儿和家长入院时、术后1 d和出院时的焦虑状态,以及患儿术后疼痛和家长满意度。结果两组患儿和家长焦虑评分组间、时间及交互比较,差异均具有统计学意义(P<0.001);对照组患儿和家长出院时焦虑评分均低于入院时、术后1 d,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);观察组患儿和家长术后1 d焦虑评分均低于入院时,出院时低于入院时、术后1 d,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05);观察组患儿和家长术后1 d、出院时焦虑评分均低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.05)。观察组患儿术后疼痛评分显著低于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.001)。观察组家长满意度显著高于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.001)。结论基于Child life理念的叙事医学干预可有效减轻隐睾患儿和家长围手术期的焦虑情绪,降低患儿术后疼痛感,提高家长满意度。

A Review of the Life Cycle Analysis for Plastic Waste Pyrolysis

Pyrolysis is a rapidly expanding chemical-based recyclable method that complements physical recycling. It avoids improper disposal of post-consumer polymers and mitigates the ecological problems linked to the production of new plastic. Nevertheless, while there is a consensus that pyrolysis might be a crucial technology in the years to come, more discussions are needed to address the challenges related to scaling up, the long-term sustainability of the process, and additional variables essential to the advancement of the green economy. Herein, it emphasizes knowledge gaps and methodological issues in current Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), underlining the need for standardized techniques and updated data to support robust decision-making for adopting pyrolysis technologies in waste management strategies. For this purpose, this study reviews the LCAs of pyrolytic processes, encompassing the complete life cycle, from feedstock collection to end-product distribution, including elements such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and waste creation. Hence, we evaluate diverse pyrolysis processes, including slow, rapid, and catalytic pyrolysis, emphasizing their distinct efficiency and environmental footprints. Furthermore, we evaluate the impact of feedstock composition, process parameters, and scale of operation on the overall sustainability of pyrolysis-based plastic waste treatment by integrating results from current literature and identifying essential research needs. Therefore, this paper argues that existing LCA studies need more coherence and accuracy. It follows a thorough evaluation of previous research and suggests new insights into methodologies and restrictions.

A Building Information Modeling-Life Cycle Cost Analysis Integrated Model to Enhance Decisions Related to the Selection of Construction Methods at the Conceptual Design Stage of Buildings

Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) provides a systematic approach to assess the total cost associated with owning, operating, and maintaining assets throughout their entire life. BIM empowers architects and designers to perform real-time evaluations to explore various design options. However, when integrated with LCCA, BIM provides a comprehensive economic perspective that helps stakeholders understand the long-term financial implications of design decisions. This study presents a methodology for developing a model that seamlessly integrates BIM and LCCA during the conceptual design stage of buildings. This integration allows for a comprehensive evaluation and analysis of the design process, ensuring that the development aligns with the principles of low carbon emissions by employing modular construction, 3D concrete printing methods, and different building design alternatives. The model considers the initial construction costs in addition to all the long-term operational, maintenance, and salvage values. It combines various tools and data through different modules, including energy analysis, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) to execute a comprehensive assessment of the financial implications of a specific design option throughout the lifecycle of building projects. The development of the said model and its implementation involves the creation of a new plug-in for the BIM tool (i.e., Autodesk Revit) to enhance its functionalities and capabilities in forecasting the life-cycle costs of buildings in addition to generating associated cash flows, creating scenarios, and sensitivity analyses in an automatic manner. This model empowers designers to evaluate and justify their initial investments while designing and selecting potential construction methods for buildings, and enabling stakeholders to make informed decisions by assessing different design alternatives based on long-term financial considerations during the early stages of design.

NCAPD2 serves as a potential prognostic biomarker for lung adenocarcinoma and promotes cell proliferation,migration,invasion and cell cycle in vitro

Objectives:The pro-oncogenic effects of NCAPD2 have been extensively studied across various tumor types;however,its precise role within the context of lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD)remains elusive.This study aims to elucidate the biological functions of NCAPD2 in LUAD and unravel the underlying mechanistic pathways.Methods:Utilizing bioinformatics methodologies,we explored the differential expression of NCAPD2 between normal and tumor samples,along with its correlations with clinical-pathological characteristics,survival prognosis,and immune infiltration.Results:In the TCGA-LUAD dataset,tumor samples demonstrated significantly elevated levels of NCAPD2 expression compared to normal samples(p<0.001).Clinically,higher NCAPD2 expression was notably associated with advanced T,N,and M stages,pathologic stage,gender,smoking status,and diminished overall survival(OS).Moreover,differentially expressed genes(DEGs)associated with NCAPD2 were predominantly enriched in pathways related to cell division.Immune infiltration analysis revealed that NCAPD2 expression levels were linked to the infiltration of memory B cells,naïve CD4+T cells,activated memory CD4+T cells,and M1 macrophages.In vitro experiments demonstrated that silencing NCAPD2 suppressed LUAD cell proliferation,migration,invasion,epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT),and cell cycle progression.Conclusions:In summary,NCAPD2 may represent a promising prognostic biomarker and novel therapeutic target for LUAD.

Impacts of the annual cycle of background SST in the tropical Pacific on the phase and amplitude of ENSO

The dominant annual cycle of sea surface temperature(SST)in the tropical Pacific exhibits an antisymmetric mode,which explains 83.4%total variance,and serves as a background of El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO).However,there is no consensus yet on its anomalous impacts on the phase and amplitude of ENSO.Based on data during 1982-2022,results show that anomalies of the antisymmetric mode can affect the evolution of ENSO on the interannual scale via Bjerknes feedback,in which the positive(negative)phase of the antisymmetric mode can strengthen El Niño(La Niña)in boreal winter via an earlier(delayed)seasonal cycle transition and larger(smaller)annual mean.The magnitude of the SST anomalies in the equatorial eastern Pacific can reach more than±0.3◦C,regulated by the changes in the antisymmetric mode based on random sensitivity analysis.Results reveal the spatial pattern of the annual cycle associated with the seasonal phase-locking of ENSO evolution and provide new insight into the impact of the annual cycle of background SST on ENSO,which possibly carries important implications for forecasting ENSO.

Solar cycles during the seventeenth century revealed by equatorial aurora records

Solar cycles are fundamental to astrophysics,space exploration,technological infrastructure,and Earth's climate.A better understanding of these cycles and their history can aid in risk mitigation on Earth,while also deepening our knowledge of stellar physics and solar system dynamics.Determining the solar cycles between 1600 and 1700-especially the post-1645 Maunder Minimum,characterized by significantly reduced solar activity-poses challenges to existing solar activity proxies.This study utilizes a new red equatorial auroral catalog from ancient Korean texts to establish solar cycle patterns from 1623 to 1700.Remarkably,a further reevaluation of the solar cycles between 1610 and 1755 identified a total of 13 cycles,diverging from the widely accepted record of 12 cycles during that time.This research enhances our understanding of historical solar activity,and underscores the importance of integrating diverse historical sources into modern analyses.

Reevaluating health metrics:Unraveling the limitations of disabilityadjusted life years as an indicator in disease burden assessment

In 1993,the World Bank released a global report on the efficacy of health promotion,introducing the disability-adjusted life years(DALY)as a novel indicator.The DALY,a composite metric incorporating temporal and qualitative data,is grounded in preferences regarding disability status.This review delineates the algorithm used to calculate the value of the proposed DALY synthetic indicator and elucidates key methodological challenges associated with its application.In contrast to the quality-adjusted life years approach,derived from multi-attribute utility theory,the DALY stands as an independent synthetic indicator that adopts the assumptions of the Time Trade Off utility technique to define Disability Weights.Claiming to rely on no mathematical or economic theory,DALY users appear to have exempted themselves from verifying whether this indicator meets the classical properties required of all indicators,notably content validity,reliability,specificity,and sensitivity.The DALY concept emerged primarily to facilitate comparisons of the health impacts of various diseases globally within the framework of the Global Burden of Disease initiative,leading to numerous publications in international literature.Despite widespread adoption,the DALY synthetic indicator has prompted significant methodological concerns since its inception,manifesting in inconsistent and non-reproducible results.Given the substantial diffusion of the DALY indicator and its critical role in health impact assessments,a reassessment is warranted.This reconsideration is imperative for enhancing the robustness and reliability of public health decisionmaking processes.

The Sequential Mediating Roles of Body Pain and Self-Reported Health Status in the Relationship between Sleep Duration and Life Satisfaction

Objective This study examines the sequential mediating roles of body pain and self-reported health in the association between sleep duration and self-reported life satisfaction among elderly Chinese adults.Methods Data from the fifth wave of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey(CHARLS)were used to analyse the relationships between sleep duration and body pain,self-reported health,and life satisfaction through logistic regression and Restricted Cubic Spline(RCS)analyses.The sequential mediation effects of body pain and self-reported health status were examined via chain mediation analysis.Results Logistic regression analysis showed that sleeping fewer than 6 hours or 6-7 hours was linked to higher risks of body pain,poor health,and dissatisfaction with life compared to sleeping 7-8 hours(all P<0.05).Additionally,those sleeping more than 9 hours also had increased risks of poor health and dissatisfaction with life compared to those sleeping 7-8 hours(all P<0.05).Chain mediation analysis showed that body pain and self-reported health status sequentially mediated 46.15%of the association between sleep duration and life satisfaction.Conclusion Body pain and self-reported health may shape the relationship between sleep duration and life satisfaction in elderly Chinese adults.

Distressing symptoms and health-related quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease(CKD)is an incapacitating illness associated with distressing symptoms(DS)that have negative impact on patients’health-related quality of life(HRQOL).AIM To assess the severity of DS and their relationships with HRQOL among patients with CKD in Jordan.METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional design was used.A convenience sampling approach was used to recruit the participants.Patients with CKD(n=140)who visited the outpatient clinics in four hospitals in Amman between November 2021 and December 2021 were included.RESULTS The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System was used to measure the severity of the DS while the Short Form-36 tool was used to measure the HRQOL.Participants’mean age was 50.9(SD=15.14).Most of them were males(n=92,65.7%),married(n=95,67.9%),and unemployed(n=93,66.4%).The highest DS were tiredness(mean=4.68,SD=2.98)and worse well-being(mean=3.69,SD=2.43).The highest HRQOL mean score was for the bodily pain scale with a mean score of 68.50 out of 100(SD=32.02)followed by the emotional well-being scale with mean score of 67.60(SD=18.57).CONCLUSION Patients with CKD had suboptimal HRQOL,physically and mentally.They suffer from multiple DS that have a strong association with diminished HRQOL such as tiredness and depression.Therefore,healthcare providers should be equipped with the essential knowledge and skills to promote individualized strategies that focusing on symptom management.

Data-Driven Method for Predicting Remaining Useful Life of Bearings Based on Multi-Layer Perception Neural Network and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Network

The remaining useful life prediction of rolling bearing is vital in safety and reliability guarantee.In engineering scenarios,only a small amount of bearing performance degradation data can be obtained through accelerated life testing.In the absence of lifetime data,the hidden long-term correlation between performance degradation data is challenging to mine effectively,which is the main factor that restricts the prediction precision and engineering application of the residual life prediction method.To address this problem,a novel method based on the multi-layer perception neural network and bidirectional long short-term memory network is proposed.Firstly,a nonlinear health indicator(HI)calculation method based on kernel principal component analysis(KPCA)and exponential weighted moving average(EWMA)is designed.Then,using the raw vibration data and HI,a multi-layer perceptron(MLP)neural network is trained to further calculate the HI of the online bearing in real time.Furthermore,The bidirectional long short-term memory model(BiLSTM)optimized by particle swarm optimization(PSO)is used to mine the time series features of HI and predict the remaining service life.Performance verification experiments and comparative experiments are carried out on the XJTU-SY bearing open dataset.The research results indicate that this method has an excellent ability to predict future HI and remaining life.

Effects of bacterial strains on undrained cyclic behavior of bio-cemented sand considering wetting and drying cycles

The microbial-induced calcite precipitation(MICP)technique has been developed as a sustainable methodology for the improvement of the engineering characteristics of sandy soils.However,the efficiency of MICP-treated sand has not been well established in the literature considering cyclic loading under undrained conditions.Furthermore,the efficacy of different bacterial strains in enhancing the cyclic properties of MICP-treated sand has not been sufficiently documented.Moreover,the effect of wetting-drying(WD)cycles on the cyclic characteristics of MICP-treated sand is not readily available,which may contribute to the limited adoption of MICP treatment in field applications.In this study,strain-controlled consolidated undrained(CU)cyclic triaxial testing was conducted to evaluate the effects of MICP treatment on standard Ennore sand from India with two bacterial strains:Sporosarcina pasteurii and Bacillus subtilis.The treatment durations of 7 d and 14 d were considered,with an interval of 12 h between treatments.The cyclic characteristics,such as the shear modulus and damping ratio,of the MICP-treated sand with the different bacterial strains have been estimated and compared.Furthermore,the effect of WD cycles on the cyclic characteristics of MICP-treated sand has been evaluated considering 5–15 cycles and aging of samples up to three months.The findings of this study may be helpful in assessing the cyclic characteristics of MICP-treated sand,considering the influence of different bacterial strains,treatment duration,and WD cycles.

Cycle life prediction and match detection in retired electric vehicle batteries

The lifespan models of commercial 18650-type lithium ion batteries （nominal capacity of 1150 mA-h） were presented. The lifespan was extrapolated based on this model. The results indicate that the relationship of capacity retention and cycle number can be expressed by Gaussian function. The selecting function and optimal precision were verified through actual match detection and a range of alternating current impedance testing. The cycle life model with high precision （〉99%） is beneficial to shortening the orediction time and cutting the prediction cost.

Facilitating IT outsourcing through improving buyer-vendor interaction in outsourcing life cycle

For a clear understanding of how to foster necessary attributes of partnerships that promote a closer relationship for achieving outsourcing success,this paper tries to explore the role of interaction.Based on empirical data from a logistics and procurement flat system outsourcing case and earlier research,the industrial network approach and the international marketing and purchasing interaction model are used to analyze the nature of interaction in a three-phased outsourcing life cycle,particularly,characteristics and activities of the transition phase are identified.The findings reveal that developing a relationship between partners requires an industrial network perspective.Improving the key aspects of interaction,information and knowledge sharing,communication and collaborative participation,involved in the important events of three phases would contribute to enhance the relationships performance.The key aspects of interaction should take place among the network actors and not just between buyers and vendors.

Comparative analysis of perpetual pavement structures based on pavement performance and life cycle cost

Pavement performance and economic efficiency are researched on the perpetual test pavement of Yijiang-Suzhou Express Highway in Jiangsu province, China. Test sections were continuously monitored. The conditions and developing laws of deflection, rutting and cracking are compared among the perpetual pavement with the rich binder layer （RBL）, the perpetual pavement without the RBL, and the conventional semi-rigid asphalt pavement in the past eight years after opening for traffic. Economical evaluation is conducted via life cycle cost analysis （LCCA）. Based on the performance comparison and LCCA analysis, sections with the RBL have good crack resistance, but they are not very satisfactory in the aspect of permanent deformation; the conventional semi-rigid asphalt pavement is the least economic one due to requiring more frequent maintenance. Research results show that the perpetual pavement without RBL is a more appropriate structure for the test site.

Chinese life cycle impact assessment factors

The methodological basis and procedures for determination of Chinese normalization references and weighting factors according to the EDIP-method is described. According to Chinese industrial development intensity and population density, China was divided into three regions and the normalization references for each region were calculated on the basis of an inventory of all of the region's environmental emissions in 1990. The normalization reference was determined as the total environmental impact potential for the area in question in 1990(EP(j)90) divided by the population. The weighting factor was determined as the normalization reference (ER(j)90) divided by society's target contribution in the year 2000 based on Chinese political reduction plans, ER(j)T2000. This paper presents and discuss results obtained for eight different environmental impact categories relevant for China: global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, acidification, nutrient enrichment, photochemical ozone formation and generation of bulk waste, hazardous waste and slag and ashes.

Process of aluminum dross recycling and life cycle assessment for Al-Si alloys and brown fused alumina

In 2008,around 596 000 t of aluminum dross was generated from secondary aluminum industry in China;however,it was not sufficiently recycled yet.Approximately 95% of the Al dross was land filled without innocent treatment.The purpose of this work is to investigate Al dross recycling by environmentally efficient and friendly methods.Two methods of Al dross recycling which could utilize Al dross efficiently were presented.High-quality aluminum-silicon alloys and brown fused alumina(BFA) were produced successfully by recycling Al dross.Then,life cycle assessment(LCA) was performed to evaluate environmental impact of two methods of Al dross recycling process.The results show that the two methods are reasonable and the average recovery rate of Al dross is up to 98%.As the LCA results indicate,they have some advantages such as less natural resource consumption and pollutant emissions,which efficiently relieves the burden on the environment in electrolytic aluminum and secondary aluminum industry.